# Columbia University in the City of New York: Area Studies (bachelor's)

New York, NY. IPEDS 190150, CIP 05.01. Page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york/majors/area-studies

## Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings 1 year after graduating: $41,479
- Median earnings 4 years after graduating: $96,884 (U.S. median for this major: $57,208 across 70 colleges)
- Median federal loan debt: $22,486 (U.S. median $20,552)
- Rank in NY: 2 of 7 colleges by 4-year earnings
- Versus the NY median for this major (7 colleges, $66,117): +$30,767
- Versus the U.S. median: +$39,676

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
School-wide net price x 4.19 years (average time graduates took). Earnings gain = $96,884 minus $34,633 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NY (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $4,570 | $19,148 | under 1 year |
| 30-48k | $2,275 | $9,532 | under 1 year |
| 48-75k | $5,866 | $24,579 | under 1 year |
| 75-110k | $11,782 | $49,367 | under 1 year |
| 110k+ | $50,621 | $212,102 | 3.4 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Area Studies at NY colleges
| College | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornell University | $96,976 | $17,625 | $28,690 | 95% |
| Columbia University in the City of New York | $96,884 | $22,486 | $21,590 | 96% |
| Fordham University | $75,563 | $26,884 | $44,338 | 82% |
| Barnard College | $66,117 | $19,000 | $28,800 | 93% |
| New York University | $62,651 | $19,250 | $37,050 | 88% |
| Hobart William Smith Colleges | $60,381 | $24,250 | $31,563 | 77% |
| University at Albany | $50,572 | $22,305 | $17,167 | 62% |

## Sources and years
- Earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars; debt: NSLDS pooled AY2018-19, AY2019-20 cohort

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).